As spectacular as smartphone cameras are today, even the most effective digital camera telephones face a few main limitations. One is the number of lenses, since there’s a restrict to what number of totally different ones you possibly can moderately equip a telephone with, and the opposite is the standard of these lenses, which is proscribed primarily based on their essentially small measurement. However Xiaomi has simply proven off a telephone that solves each of these issues.

The corporate took to Weibo (opens in new tab) – a Chinese language social community – to disclose a modified model of the Xiaomi 12S Extremely (which already features a one-inch sensor) which you could mount a Leica M-series lens to. The put up included a video that’s been uploaded to YouTube by XDA Builders (opens in new tab), so you possibly can watch it under.

One inch is impressively giant for a smartphone digital camera sensor, however as is true of any smartphone that touts pictures as a key promoting level, the bottleneck then turns into the smartphone-sized lenses used. Whereas the usual Xiaomi 12S Extremely’s 50MP Sony IMX989 is styled like every other smartphone digital camera, this newly-unveiled Xiaomi 12S Extremely idea doesn’t have a lens over the sensor in any respect – or at the very least not till you connect one.

With a purpose to preserve the sensor as clear as potential when a lens is not hooked up, the corporate has opted for a sapphire crystal cowl, that ought to repel scratches nicely; mud between the lens components and the sensor looks as if it could nonetheless be a persistent problem, nevertheless.

Since you possibly can connect and swap Leica M-series lenses, you’re not restricted to only the one lens there, so you possibly can benefit from that highly effective one-inch sensor throughout a wide range of lenses (assuming you spend money on a range).

And these Leica lenses are designed for correct mirrorless and rangefinder cameras, in order that they’re a lot larger and extra succesful than the lenses you’d usually discover on a smartphone. If one was completely hooked up to this Xiaomi telephone, it could be impractical, however you possibly can merely take away it when not in use, to maintain the telephone’s standard kind issue intact.

For now, that is only a idea telephone, so there’s no assure it’ll ever go on sale, but it surely’s not unimaginable to think about that we’ll sooner or later see this or one thing related offered.

Evaluation: a distinct segment however thrilling concept

A telephone like this Xiaomi 12S Extremely idea is rarely prone to be mainstream, since it’ll solely enchantment to individuals who have already got or desire a correct digital camera, and aren’t happy with high quality or look of standard smartphone photographs, however for these few, it may very well be a revelation.

There’s a saying that the most effective digital camera is the one you’ve got with you, and since all of us carry our telephones round with us in every single place, that makes them the most effective – or at the very least essentially the most helpful – even when they are not the very best high quality.

Carrying round a DSLR or mirrorless system is, for many of us, one thing we’d solely do once we actively plan to be taking photographs whereas out, and even then, it’s an additional factor to hold, which could be an annoyance.

So, Xiaomi’s 12S Extremely idea might provide the standard of a correct digital camera with out the necessity to carry a separate snapper. You’ll, after all, nonetheless have to deliver at the very least one lens out with you, however there’s much less weight and measurement there than in an entire devoted digital camera system.

Plus, there are all kinds of Leica M-series lenses on the market, so there are already a great deal of suitable choices, and for individuals who already personal some, this Xiaomi idea may very well be much more tempting. So there’s little question this may be probably the greatest digital camera telephones and finest Xiaomi telephones round, if it ever did launch.